


will you be my christmassy?

by neotbz



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Sports, American Football, But still very cute, Childhood Friends, Coming Out, Established Relationship, Fluff, Holidays, Kissing, M/M, Promposals, a bit of angst, juric are football players, juric ask each other out to winter formal, kinda cliche, late eric bday fic?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:03:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28443624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neotbz/pseuds/neotbz
Summary: "Eric Sohn," a voice booms through the stadium, shocking Eric and silencing the crowd.Haknyeon lets Eric's wrist go, and he turns to find Juyeon kneeling a few feets away, radiant and beaming as he meets Eric's eyes.He's holding a megaphone that he must've scrounged from one of the student-commentators, and sunflowers in one hand, a large cardboard sign in the other.(or, eric really wants to go to winter formal with juyeon, but he doesn't want to add to his stress. little does he know that juyeon's been planning to ask him for weeks.)
Relationships: Lee Juyeon/Son Youngjae | Eric
Comments: 3
Kudos: 124





	will you be my christmassy?

**Author's Note:**

> this is based off of the christmassy mv! this was also supposed to be a late eric bday fic seeing as i started writing it on the 22nd, and it's been done for a few days but i was too lazy to edit it lol. happy late birthday, eric, i love you very much <3

Eric's never really minded the fact that he and Juyeon have to keep their relationship a secret. Most days, he doesn't even think about it. He's lucky enough that Juyeon reciprocates his feelings, and he doesn't want to take more than he's given.

But other days, like today, Eric can't stop wishing for Juyeon to be ready to make their relationship public. He wants to be able to hold Juyeon's hand walking to football practice, he wants to tell his mom all about the boy he's fallen in love with, and he wants to ask Juyeon out to winter formal.

He supposes that's where this yearning for Juyeon to come out really started. Winter formal is just around the corner, only two weeks away, and Eric wants nothing more than to get all dressed up with Juyeon and dance the night away. Especially since this is Juyeon's senior year, and Eric will have to be apart from Juyeon for an entire year after this.

The last thing he wants to do is pressure him since Eric knows exactly how scary it is, so he stays quiet and acts normal. He'll make the best out of any situation, even if most of their meetings are kept secret.

Okay, he's exaggerating a little bit. They practically spend all of their free time together anyway. Between football practices and school, they do homework together and spend weekends together as well. Not to mention that they literally live right next to each other.

So, most days, Eric has zero problems with sneaking around with Juyeon. It's exhilarating, even, to keep their relationship a secret from their friends, who he knows are fine with his sexuality, and it's a bonus that Juyeon has to schedule in time for Eric in his busy life and that Eric gets Juyeon all to himself during those times.

Like, right now, when they're on their usual Sunday morning runs. It's nearing 8 AM, and both of them are watching the sunrise as they slow down their pace. Juyeon's starting to slow down just a little earlier than usual and Eric can tell it's because he stayed up too late last night working on a college application that's due soon.

"Did you stay up too late, Juyeonie?" Eric asks, slowing down to a fast walk as they near the lake where they usually watch the sunrise together.

Juyeon sends him a sheepish smile, and it feels like an arrow to Eric's heart. He hates seeing Juyeon work so hard all the time, but he knows nothing he says will ever deter him. The least Eric can do is support him.

"I was helping Changmin with one of his application essays last night before I started working on mine," Juyeon doesn't meet Eric's eyes as they find a place to sit down to watch the sunrise.

Eric narrows his eyes, "How late did you stay up?"

It's silent, Juyeon refusing to meet his eyes until Eric nudges him again, "4."

"Juyeon Lee! And you didn't think to call me and cancel our run? We left at 6:45, so you only got two hours of sleep!" Eric really doesn't enjoy nagging Juyeon like this, but he also doesn't like seeing Juyeon so tired and weary, but insistently hiding it from everyone.

Juyeon shrugs, just like Eric predicts, "I'm fine. I'll go home and crash for a bit before I need to work on homework."

Eric closes his eyes momentarily, reminding himself to let go. He decides not to push, letting Juyeon off for the moment.

He leans back and looks up at the sky. This is why he can't ask Juyeon to winter formal as his date. It seems insignificant in the grand scheme of things, and though it means a lot to Eric, Juyeon is going through what is probably the most stressful period in his high school career, and the last thing Eric wants is to add more stress to Juyeon’s plate. 

Eric feels a hand against his, and a glance downwards shows Juyeon slipping his hand into Eric's, holding tight as he leans into Eric.

"I know you think I'm not taking care of myself, but I am, I promise. I'll get enough sleep in a few weeks anyway. After we make it into the state championships and I get the last few college applications in, I'll be free to do anything," Juyeon drops his head down onto Eric's shoulder, and Eric can't help but melt into his boyfriend.

"Okay," is all Eric says, not wanting to push Juyeon too much. He'll accept it today, and if he gets to nap with Juyeon in the afternoon, well, that's just an added bonus for him.

Footsteps sound behind them, and they immediately separate, Juyeon untangling their hands and practically jumping away until there's an adequate amount of space between them.

Eric peeks behind him, eyes falling on an older man jogging on the trail. He smiles politely before turning back, his heart clenching painfully in his chest.

Eric lets his hand fall into the still-dewy grass, the coolness of the moisture distracting him from the burning in his throat.

Eric really doesn't care about strangers. He doesn't care that he can't call Juyeon his boyfriend in the middle of the school hallways. But still, it stings a little that he can't hold his boyfriend's hand at 7:55 on a Sunday morning when the world is still mostly quiet, and it always takes Eric a second to compose himself again.

It's not a problem, though, Eric reminds himself. He's lucky enough to be here with Juyeon.

—

Monday morning weightlifting is the best and worst way to start off the week, depending on the week.

This week, it feels like the worst way possible for Eric to start his week. Yesterday had been awkward after his and Juyeon's run, and Eric hadn't been able to diffuse the tension no matter how hard he tried. He had laid in bed, worrying about Juyeon all night, and had consequently overslept.

He had welcomed lifting as a great distraction from his bothersome thoughts, except for the fact that Juyeon is his spotter, and his lovely face comes into view every time Eric's arms waver from the weight of his barbell.

He struggles through his reps, sweat already dripping down his chest, his white t-shirt starting to stick to his torso. Juyeon looks a bit less tired — he always looks tired — but far more well-rested than he'd looked yesterday.

"Almost there, Ric. You're doing amazing," Juyeon encourages, smiling when Eric successfully presses the weight all the way up. Eric struggles through three more reps, Juyeon's hovering face both helping and cursing him.

He helps Eric put the barbell back on the rack, when he finishes, ruffling Eric's hair just once, fast enough that no one else in the room notices.

The encouragement makes Eric smile as they switch positions, Eric's turn to spot Juyeon. Juyeon adds two plates to the barbell before he lays down, and Eric can't hide his smile. He's been working on improving his arm strength this season, and it has been paying off so far. Juyeon gets through his first set with no straining at all.

"Yo, Lee, have you started thinking about your date for winter formal? I was thinking of asking Yeji but I really don't know if she likes me at all," Mark, tight end on the football team and one of their friends, asks as he passes by their rack.

Juyeon's arms waver dangerously, and Eric eases the bar back onto the rack, wincing at the question.

He avoids Juyeon's eyes, knowing full well that Juyeon saw his reaction, taking a step back, doing his best not to listen to Juyeon's answer.

Juyeon coughs, reaching for the water bottle next to the bench, taking a long swig before looking back at Mark, who looks completely engrossed in his thoughts.

"I haven't really thought about it," Juyeon mutters, voice sounding strangely tight.

"What about you, Sohn? Got eyes on anyone?" Mark wiggles his eyebrows goofily, completely missing the way Eric stiffens.

"No, I—uh, I've been so busy with chem homework these past few weeks, I completely forgot about it," Eric forces a laugh that sounds fake to his own ears, but Mark doesn't seem to notice, nodding enthusiastically.

"Well, if you ever need me to talk to any of my friends, I sure can. Just let me know," Mark offers and Eric nods, wanting this conversation to be over as soon as possible.

"Mark, you asshole! Get over here!" comes Donghyuck from the other side of the weight room, "I'm adding another plate for every second you take to get back here!"

Mark's face immediately pales, and even though both of them know it's an empty threat — Donghyuck would never risk injury like that — it's cute that Mark still knows the extent of Donghyuck's threats.

He manages a weak smile before he's jogging back to Donghyuck, leaving Juyeon and Eric to hear him whining, "Stop, Hyuck, you know my shoulder already hurts."

Juyeon and Eric are left in awkward silence. Eric has skillfully avoided any and all mention of winter formal so far, and he doesn't really want to talk about it now.

Juyeon stares at Eric for a second, searching his eyes with worry, but Eric just pushes Juyeon back down, taking a plate off of the bar easily.

"Let's go, we're restarting this set," he lets his hand linger on Juyeon's shoulder, letting him know he's not upset at all.

Juyeon pouts, "Can we skip a set?"

"You fucking wish, Lee," Eric laughs, reveling in Juyeon's cute pout directed right at him as he helps Juyeon bring the bar down to his chest.

Lifting drags on, Eric's mind whirling with thoughts of winter formal that he'd tried to hard to block out of his head. Juyeon had said that he hadn't thought about formal, but Eric is wondering if Juyeon wants to ask someone as his date anyway. It's pretty uncommon for seniors especially, to go to winter formal without a date.

Eric does his best to focus, knowing just how bad working out unfocused can be, and how quickly injury can follow. It's that thought that keeps him quiet throughout the morning, shelving his thoughts for another time, even as Juyeon glances at him from time to time, obviously wondering what Eric is thinking.

—

"I'm starving," Juyeon says as he slides into the chair across from Eric, next to Kevin.

"Here, you can have some of my chips. They're jalapeno," Eric slides the bag across the table, reveling in the sweet smile Juyeon sends him.

"How was class?" Juyeon asks as he inhales the chips, still managing to pay full attention to Eric.

Eric lets out a stressed sigh, "I talked to Mr. Kim about the chem test that I did bad on, and he kinda helped me out but also basically told me that I should be prioritizing school over football and that my bad grades are my fault."

Juyeon straightens, anger flickering through his eyes, "Really? That's an asshole move of him to make. I'll talk to Changmin, he can probably get student council to write up a formal complaint. That's so—"

"Juyeon," Eric resists the urge to reach out and place his hand on top of his boyfriend’s, "It's fine. Mr. Kim has never been nice to me, I've already accepted it."

Juyeon shakes his head, setting the empty chip bag down, "That's not fair. He can't pick and choose who to help based on who he likes best. I'll help you study for your next test. It's this Friday, right?"

Eric nods, "Same day as our qualifying game. You don't have to help me study, though. I'll ask Chanhee or something, I think he's done with most of his college apps and he doesn't have football to worry about.

Another flash of something—pain or frustration—flashes through Juyeon's eyes as he studies Eric's own eyes before he shakes his head again, "I'll help. I have time for you, Eric."

Eric swallows, not wanting to push because he really, really does appreciate Juyeon's help, especially for chemistry, but he's well aware that Juyeon is actually very busy. He's also aware that even if Juyeon comes back from practice dead exhausted, he'll still make time to help Eric before starting on his own homework if Eric asks.

"If you're too tired, let me know, Juyeon. I'm serious. I can always raise my chem grade after this week but we only have one shot to make it to states for your senior year," Eric looks at Juyeon expectantly until Juyeon nods in agreement.

Eric sits back, satisfied with his decision, and they quickly switch topics, joining Sunwoo's discussion-turned-argument with Haknyeon over whether or not joining a band or playing a sport is more valuable in high school.

Time ticks quickly, Eric's lunch disappearing with every word he speaks — in defense of Sunwoo, of course, because playing sports is what Eric's best at.

There are a couple of minutes left of lunch when Sunwoo decides to speak, after he and Haknyeon agree to disagree on their opinions about high school extracurriculars.

All of a sudden, Sunwoo looks very nervous, eyes flickering all around the table where their friends are seated, but they keep going back to Changmin, who smiles at him encouragingly.

Eric feels like he knows what's going to happen before it happens, and he finds himself looking to Juyeon, who is already looking at Eric. Eric manages a weak smile before focusing back on his best friend.

"Uh, I just wanted to tell you guys that... um, Changmin and I are dating."

Pink blooms on Sunwoo's cheeks and if Eric wasn't feeling so conflicted, he's sure he would coo. There's a second of silence, where everyone's gaze floats over to Changmin, who's smiling widely at Sunwoo, clearly proud of his boyfriend.

It's Haknyeon who breaks the silence, "Finally. Now Eric and I can stop having to listen to you pine over Changmin all the time."

Sunwoo shoves Haknyeon, causing him to clutch his shoulder and moan overdramatically, falling into Juyeon.

"I'm happy for you, Sunwoo," Chanhee grins over at his younger friend, and it takes a second for Eric to find his voice.

"I'm happy for you too," Eric says, finding that he really does mean it, under all of the envy he's feeling.

Juyeon smiles at Sunwoo too, clapping Changmin on the back, "Happy for you, Min."

Changmin beams, and that's the end of it. Chanhee asks Sunwoo if he's going to winter formal and receives a shrug in response.

"There's this soccer training program I was invited to over winter break, so I might start training early, and I don't know if I'll have time to spare. But I wanna go with Changmin," Sunwoo casts Changmin a look full of cheesy affection, all heart eyes, and soft sighs, and Eric wonders if that's what he looks like when he looks at Juyeon.

He shudders just thinking about it. He doesn't want to subject anyone to look at him like that, all blushing and in love.

They fade into a conversation about football, Sunwoo asking Eric if he thinks he's ready for the qualifying game they have on Friday. Juyeon pipes in every so often, and Eric can't help but smile every time Juyeon speaks, all eager to defend the pride of the football team, assuring everyone that they will win and advance to states.

—

Football practice all week is tough, both physically and mentally. Coach makes anyone who seems even the slightest bit distracted run five laps around the field, which is enough to get anyone to shut up and pay attention to practice.

Every drill leaves Eric more fatigued than the last, and he's feeling exhaustion like he hasn't in months. But the only thing he can think about is that if he's feeling so exhausted between his schoolwork and practice, how tired must Juyeon be feeling?

If Juyeon is tired, though, he doesn't show it. He's as radiant as ever on the field, every throw clean and precise. He's out of breath, but he's still the strongest force on the field. And his smile, Eric can't stop watching him.

Every time Juyeon manages a perfect spiral, a wide smile, one that Eric's seen a million times but still leaves him swooning every time, spreads on Juyeon's face and Eric has to remind himself to focus on his own drills.

The scrimmage at the end of practice is really what gets to Eric, though. Coach lets them slack off a bit, satisfied by the hard work they put in during their 2 hour practice, so their last 30 minutes are spent playing around, trying plays they would never really try out during games.

Juyeon seems to have the most fun, and Eric gratefully takes every pass Juyeon gives to him and runs his heart out down the field, scoring as many touchdowns as he can. Eric loves playing against Juyeon, since it's fun to challenge him and see who reaches their limit first, but he loves playing on his team even more.

He thrives on the proud smiles he's rewarded with every time he scores and the slight touches to the small of Eric's back when he passes by. He also enjoys seeing Juyeon worried about him when he gets tackled harder than usual, and though it's never anything serious, Juyeon's worried glance is enough to warm Eric's heart and heal whatever pain he's feeling.

Practice ends right at 5:30, and Eric pulls himself off the soft turf slowly, wincing at the newly formed bruises he knows he'll find on his abdomen tomorrow morning.

"You okay, Ric?" Juyeon's at his side as soon as he grabs both of their water bottles, handing Eric his pink bottle, fingers brushing against his for longer than necessary.

"I'm fine, Juyeon. Just landed kinda hard during that last tackle. Jeno is getting a little too good at those sacks," Eric says, both of them walking back to the school, the cold December wind biting at Eric's face.

"He is getting good, isn't he?" Juyeon muses, then pouts over at Eric, pink nose on full display, "Not better than me, though, right?"

Eric huffs out a laugh, tilting his water bottle up and taking a few sips, "No, not better than you, Juyeon."

He smiles, satisfied, and quickly looks around before slipping an arm around Eric's torso, pulling him close. Their shoulder pads get in the way of them getting very close, but it's still good enough for Eric. This, right here, is everything Eric wants. He slides his own arm around Juyeon, savoring the tiny bit of hard muscle Eric can feel through Juyeon's practice jersey.

They're nearing the school when both of them hear a bunch of clapping and shouting. Juyeon stops, looking over at Eric, who just shrugs. They both look around the area until Eric spots the crowd at the far side of the student parking lot.

From their position on the hill leading to the school, they can clearly see the entire group of people. Eric spots someone holding a big poster standing next to a car, before he squints, trying to see if he knows who it is.

"Oh, someone's asking their date out to winter formal," Eric says when he catches a glimpse of the poster, 'Winter formal?' scrawled on it.

"Oh," is all Juyeon says, but Eric swears he feels Juyeon's fingers tighten on his waist.

Eric squints a bit more, trying his best to make out who's asking who out. All he can really see is light brown hair holding the poster, and black hair nodding before he wraps his arms around brown hair.

"Is that... Jacob?" Eric asks, moving forward to get a better look. "It is! He's asking Kevin out! Oh, I'm so happy he actually did it. Kevin's been wondering if he was even gonna ask."

"I'm happy too. Jacob's been stressed out about it," Juyeon says, pulling Eric along with him.

Eric stills, forcing Juyeon to pause as well, "You knew? And you didn't tell me?"

Juyeon looks sheepish, averting his gaze to the ground, "You're a horrible secret-keeper, Ric. Jacob barely trusted me not to tell Kev, but you're even worse."

Eric shoves Juyeon away playfully, before letting his hand brush against Juyeon's again. The uncomfortable yearning is back in the pit of Eric's stomach, but he pushes it down. There's no point in hoping for Juyeon to ask him to formal, and Eric had already promised himself he wouldn't push Juyeon.

So sucking it up and pushing through this week is his only option. He has other things to focus on, anyway, like the qualifying game for states. And he knows that Juyeon will appreciate him more if they make it to states than if they go to winter formal together.

—

Eric knows Juyeon won't make it past 8 o'clock when he asks Eric to drive them home.

He looks exhausted coming out of the locker room after showering and getting dressed, and Eric knows that he should just tell Juyeon that he can get help with chemistry from someone else, or that it can wait until another day.

When he tells Juyeon exactly that, all he gets is a flat look and a head shake. Eric rolls his eyes but gets in the driver's seat anyway, familiar enough with Juyeon's car that he just tells Juyeon to take a nap for the drive.

Juyeon shakes his head, "I'm fine."

Eric hasn't even pulled out of the parking lot when Juyeon falls asleep, soft breaths filling the car, keeping Eric and his thoughts company on the way home.

Being next-door neighbors with your boyfriend is kind of the best thing ever, in Eric's opinion. He's not one for sneaking out, but it's comforting to know that if anything's ever really serious, he can always make his way to Juyeon's house in under two minutes.

Plus, Eric's been getting rides to school since Juyeon learned how to drive, and playing outside when he was a kid was a lot more fun with Juyeon.

Eric knows Juyeon must've gotten less than 5 hours of sleep for him to be passed out the way he is when he pulls into the driveway of Juyeon's house. Eric takes a second to admire Juyeon after parking the car, taking comfort in the slow rising and falling of Juyeon's chest.

The bags under Juyeon's eyes are more prominent than they were this morning, and Eric reaches out, his thumb lightly smoothing out the soft skin under his eye. Juyeon stirs awake, smiling over at Eric.

"How long have we been sitting here? You could've woken me up," Juyeon says, covering his yawn with a hand.

"It's only been a minute or two," Eric says.

"C'mon, I'll make you some green tea," Juyeon says, "Mom's working late tonight so we can either cook something real fast or eat snacks."

Eric shakes his head, "I'll make us some ramen. You get the tea and go upstairs, all right? I'll try to make it quick so you can go to bed early tonight."

"You don't have to worry about me, Eric. I'm doing okay," Juyeon sighs, unbuckling his seatbelt before reaching across the center console and kissing Eric quickly.

It's not more than a peck; Eric knows Juyeon hates PDA, but he still savors it. It's strange, Eric thinks. Juyeon's never kissed him outside of one of their bedrooms or the locker room before. And earlier, he had put his arm around Eric after football practice, which he's also never done since they started dating.

Eric narrows his eyes for a second, till Juyeon looks at him with question in his eyes. He just chalks it up to exhaustion; Juyeon must be so tired that he's trying to get comfort whenever possible.

"You still need sleep, no matter how okay you think you are," Eric says, running a hand through Juyeon's damp hair.

He gets out of the car, grabbing both his and Juyeon's bags from the backseat, ignoring Juyeon's protests as he makes his way to the door.

They get down to work twenty minutes later, after they eat two bowls of ramen each.

Juyeon explains every concept that Eric's confused about, explaining everything in such simple terms that Eric thinks that he's stupid for ever not getting it.

Time passes by quickly, both of them working on their homework quietly, Eric catching up on all the homework from this past unit that he's been putting off since every time he looks at it, he has absolutely no idea where to even start.

Eric inevitably gets distracted, instead thinking about how nonchalant Sunwoo was when telling their friends that he was dating Changmin. His thoughts float over to winter formal, and he starts daydreaming about asking Juyeon to winter formal, Juyeon being excited to get a break from homework and college applications and work. He imagines them going to formal together, even just as friends, because Eric doesn't give a fuck if no one knows they're dating. Just as long as Juyeon knows.

He wastes twenty minutes daydreaming, and when he looks over at Juyeon, finally pulled out of his thoughts, he finds his head resting on his notebook where he was previously taking notes for physics.

Eric has to smile at the sight. Juyeon's cheek is squished, and his mouth is slightly parted, looking less worried and stressed than Eric's seen him in a long time.

Eric wants to do something to make him smile and get his mind off of all of the stress he's been harboring. Eric takes one last look at Juyeon before making up his mind.

He quickly packs all of his supplies, making no sound at all, before setting a timer for thirty minutes on Juyeon's phone — because as much as Eric wants Juyeon to rest, he knows he has an essay due tomorrow — and sends him a text for him to see when he wakes up, before slinking out of the house quietly, waving hello to Juyeon's mom, who is just making her way into the home.

Eric speeds through the rest of his homework as fast as possible, because he has a plan to get sorted out.

—

"Don't be nervous," Juyeon reminds Eric, who insistently shakes his head, grabbing his helmet off the bench in front of him. Everyone is starting to clear out of the locker room, which gives him and Juyeon about three minutes before Coach and the team start to get suspicious.

"I'm not nervous. I just want everything to go well. I want us to win the state championship for you and the other seniors," Eric sighs, double-checking his cleats, making sure the laces are tied tightly.

He doesn't have very much else to check, but he's doing his best to avoid looking Juyeon in the eye, both because he'll want to kiss the lights out of him, and because Juyeon will be able to immediately tell that Eric is hiding something.

"Play for yourself first, Eric. I want you to win this game for yourself, not me," Juyeon's hands come up to either side of Eric's face, gently coaxing his head upwards until Eric straightens, looking Juyeon in the eye.

Juyeon's hands are firm on Eric's cheeks, but his eyes are soft and encouraging. Eric nods after a second. He does want to win this game for himself, as well.

"Yeah. I want to win the state championship for myself, too," Eric adds, getting an approving nod from Juyeon.

It's cute to Eric, when Juyeon combines his boyfriend aura and his captain aura, creating something else, someone Eric finds the most comfort in.

Eric peers around the side of the lockers, to the door of the locker room, making sure that the door is shut. He and Juyeon are in the far corner of the room anyway, so even if the door opens, they won't be visible unless the person walks all the way around the first row of lockers.

He sets his helmet back down, pushing Juyeon into the lockers, leaning forward until he's almost touching Juyeon's lips.

Juyeon's watching him, eyes alight, hands tightening where they rest on Eric's waist. Eric waits a second longer, waiting to see if Juyeon will push him off like he's done in the past. A beat passes. Nothing. Juyeon still waits, the same fiery look in his eyes as he stares at Eric.

Then the slightest movement of his head, leaning just a bit more into Eric. That's all it takes.

Eric surges forward, closing the last few centimeters separating them, letting himself fall into Juyeon's arms, his lips colliding messily with Juyeon's. Juyeon is warm, the same way he always is, lips tasting like mint gum. Eric wants more, but he pulls back after a bit, carding a hand through Juyeon's hair.

"For good luck," Eric explains, not missing the way Juyeon lets out the smallest laugh, patting Eric's shoulder once before pushing away from the lockers.

Eric grabs his helmet again, catching up with Juyeon again, Juyeon letting his hand brush against Eric as they make their way to the field.

Juyeon grips Eric's hand right before they get to the door, squeezes once, looks over at him with the tiniest bit of uncertainty, then lets go, all uncertainty washed away, leaving nothing but determination in his expression.

Juyeon's confidence is enough to revive Eric's own, and he straightens his shoulders as he walks out the door, head held high as they walk onto the field together.

The team that they're up against is one of the weaker ones in their region, but their real skill is holding out until the end. Where some teams lose morale as soon as they're two touchdowns down, this team truly believes that they have a fighting chance until the very end. Their morale is always very high, and that is their biggest weapon.

Still, by halftime, Juyeon has led their team to four touchdowns against the other team's two, and several field goals.

It's certainly not a bad start to the game, but the real battle starts at the end of the third quarter, when the opposing team kicks it into high gear, right when Eric starts breathing heavier, every breath more labored and legs starting to slow.

There's not a big difference in Eric's performance — he and the rest of the team have good staminas — but the other team seems to be able to sense the exact second their opponent starts to get tired, and that's when they really give it their all.

The other team manages to tie the score by the beginning of the fourth quarter, and Eric starts to panic. He'd never given himself the chance to dwell on the fact that they may not qualify for states, but doubt is slowly forcing his way into his heart, and that is bad.

Juyeon seems to notice when Coach calls a timeout, and Juyeon hands Eric his water bottle, pulling him to the side for a second before Coach starts talking.

"Hey, we're gonna make it. Don't stress. The last two plays we did went very well. Just focus on running with the ball, Ric, okay?" Juyeon's gloved hand goes to the side of Eric's neck, his thumb rubbing Eric's soft skin for a second before he drops it.

Eric stills, not wanting to look at the stands. There are hundreds of people watching the game, and he doesn't know what Juyeon's playing at. 

Juyeon's eyes hold even less of an answer, but Eric forces the thought aside as Juyeon guides him back to the rest of the team, Coach addressing their mishaps and what they can immediately improve on.

Juyeon's strange method of distraction-turned-motivation seems to work, though, because as Eric walks back onto the turf, he feels a lot more grounded and focused.

When the whistle blows, he hones in on Juyeon, who he knows — can feel it in his heart — will hand off the ball to Eric.

He's proven right when Juyeon signals Eric's best play. Chenle snaps the ball to Juyeon, who stuffs it in Eric's hand. Eric clutches the ball to his chest, tucked in tight as he takes off down the side of the field.

The wind bites at his ears and the wind causes his eyes to tear up, but he pays it no mind as he runs.

He makes it thirty yards before he gets taken down, falling onto his shoulder. He winces as he gets up, the whistle blowing to signal 1st down.

1st down. That's fine, Eric reminds himself. He will get another chance to break through their defense, to score another touchdown, to get them into states. They will do it.

"That was amazing, Eric. You were so fast," Juyeon says quietly to Eric, inaudible to anyone as he passes by to his starting position.

Eric practically inflates at the praise, smiling widely as he takes his own position behind Juyeon. Jeno nods at Eric as well, clearly impressed, and that's even more motivation for Eric to score once more.

The whistle blows, and when Chenle snaps to Juyeon, he throws down the field, down by the sixty-yard mark where Jeno's already sprinting to.

Jeno catches the ball and makes it ten more yards before he's taken down, and Eric can feel the pure energy rushing in his ears.

He's going to make this touchdown. He's going to win this game for them.

A quick glance up at the scoreboard tells Eric that there are thirty seconds on the clock, which is more than enough for Eric to make this touchdown, if Juyeon chooses to entrust him with the ball.

He bounces on the heels of his feet, once, twice, before he gets into position, waiting for Juyeon to say what play he's going with.

Eric smiles when he sees what Juyeon signals. Yeah, this is going to be good.

It's a secret weapon, per say, the play that Juyeon and Eric came up with one day over the summer when they had free time and had just started dating.

The whistle blows, and the ball is snapped to Juyeon. Juyeon turns towards the left, fakes a throw to Hyunjin, then passes the ball to Eric, who takes off, as soon as the leather touches the tip of his fingers.

He runs, the goal line getting clearer with every passing step he takes. He runs for himself, knowing that he's worked hard this season to show the best and most honed skill yet. He runs for Juyeon, who deserves a celebration in the midst of all the stress in his life. He runs for the entire team, who have been working hard for this moment all their high school career.

He barely evades one of the safeties on the other team, and then he's free. He sprints the rest of the distance, closing the gap between him and the endzone with every giant stride.

He makes it over the endzone and throws the ball down, smiling so wide it's almost uncomfortable with his mouthguard in.

It's a second before everyone else catches up to him, players from the other team slowing and bending over to catch their breath.

Jeno reaches him first, a smile almost rivaling Eric's own on display as he pulls him into a hug, Donghyuck and Juyeon right on his heels. Eric gets crushed between his team, his best friends, but it's the best feeling on Earth.

They pull away too fast for Eric's liking, but they still have seven seconds on the clock, and a field goal to seal the deal.

Haknyeon prepares to kick, immediately starting his run after the whistle blows, and he makes a flawless kick, high and arching just perfectly through the center of the goal.

The final whistle blows, and the cheers are deafening. Eric runs for Haknyeon, letting himself fall onto his friend, feeling the warmth of his team surrounding him, etching this moment into his mind forever.

Eric turns to find Juyeon right next to him, and he's wrestling his helmet off, throwing his arms around Eric tightly, not caring about anyone else.

Eric stiffens, worried that Juyeon's making a rash decision formed from adrenaline and endorphins, but when Juyeon doesn't let go after a couple of seconds, he relaxes and winds his own arms around Juyeon, taking in the sweat and dirt and the warmth of Juyeon against him.

He's pulled away from Juyeon too early for his liking, but Haknyeon tugs him down to their bench and hands him his water bottle.

"Look, there's everyone else," Hakyneon points out Sunwoo, Changmin, Kevin, and Jacob in the stands, all four of them cheering and waving when they catch Haknyeon and Eric's eyes.

Eric smiles back, jumping up and down slightly as he waves, before Haknyeon's grip on his wrist tightens.

"What?" Eric asks, trying to turn to see where Juyeon is. He really, really, really wants to kiss Juyeon right now.

"Nothing, just— oh, look Sangyeon, Younghoon, and Hyunjae made it! They aren't supposed to be home until next week!" Haknyeon's grip on Eric's wrist is deadly tight, so Eric stops fighting and just waves at his friends, letting the cheering wash over him.

"Eric Sohn," a voice booms through the stadium, shocking Eric and silencing the crowd.

Haknyeon lets Eric's wrist go, and he turns to find Juyeon kneeling a few feet away, radiant and beaming as he meets Eric's eyes.

He's holding a megaphone that he must've scrounged from one of the student-commentators, and sunflowers in one hand, a large cardboard sign in the other.

Eric feels dizzy as he reads the sign in Juyeon's hand. Eric sends him a questioning look, clearly asking if he’s comfortable with this. He receives the most minuscule nod, and when he looks in Juyeon’s eyes, there’s nothing but elation. Eric’s eyes drift back down to the sign, letting himself look at it. 

' _ Will you be my sunshine? _ ' it reads.

It rakes a second for everything to click. Juyeon's asking him out to winter formal. Juyeon Lee, his boyfriend, his favorite person in the whole fucking world, is asking him to winter formal.

Eric's eyes must be wide as shit, because Juyeon's own eyes form a smile, and that asshole, he looks amused as he lifts the megaphone to his mouth.

"Thank you for winning us this game, Ric. You're amazing. Will you be my sunshine? And take me to winter formal?" Juyeon sets the megaphone down and blows Eric a kiss.

Eric's heart is beating so erratically, he's half-afraid he'll need to be checked for arrhythmia after this. He wants to drag this out for as long as possible because as much as Eric tries to downplay it, he loves attention, but he's aware Juyeon doesn't.

And while he doesn't look anywhere near self-conscious, Eric would never want to make him uncomfortable.

So he makes his way to Juyeon, certain he's looking like an idiot with the all-teeth smile he's got going on right now.

He kneels in front of Juyeon, accepting the sunflowers he's offered, "Yes, I'll go to formal with you, dummy. You didn't have to do all this. But thank you, I love it."

Juyeon beams even wider, if possible, taking Eric's hand in his. "You really thought I wouldn't ask you? I've been planning this for weeks."

Eric lets his forehead bump against Juyeon's lightly, brushing away some stray strands of hair, "I didn't want to pressure you."

Juyeon rolls his eyes, standing, before helping Eric up, "You're an idiot. How could I not take my boyfriend to formal with me?"

And suddenly, Eric remembers his own plan. His eyes widen, and he laughs, wrapping an arm around Juyeon's neck. He's aware the crowd is still watching him, so he decides to put an end to their public spotlight.

"Make sure you buy tickets to our next game! It's in two weeks! And buy tickets for winter formal, too! It's next Saturday," Eric yells into the megaphone, nodding in satisfaction as people get the message and start filing out of the stands.

"Come on, Juyeonie, I've got something to show you," Eric's words are coated in glee, and Juyeon doesn't miss it. He sends a questioning glance to Eric, but Eric pays it no mind.

Eric takes his hand and pulls him along, stopping to collect their water bottles and heading for the locker room, Juyeon looking at him curiously the whole time.

Once they're both freshly showered and ready to go home, Eric hops into Juyeon's passenger seat, instructing him to drive to Eric's house.

Eric is unreasonably nervous, and he knows Juyeon's trying to distract him while he drives. Juyeon reflects on his performance during the game, commenting on which plays he could have improved on, asking Eric for his opinion every once in a while.

Eric's grateful for the distraction, but honestly, he doesn't need it. In his heart, he knows everything will be okay, and there's really no reason to be nervous when Juyeon is the one who asked him to formal first.

His heart starts beating a bit faster when they turn onto their street, passing Juyeon's house and stopping in front of Eric's, Juyeon poised to turn into the driveway.

Eric knows the exact second Juyeon sees it, because he inhales sharply, pulling the car into the driveway carefully. Eric clutches at the sunflowers Juyeon had given him tightly, unable to hide his smile.

Juyeon's own eyes are wide as he looks at Eric, "You did this for me?"

Eric scoffs, "Of course I did it for you. You deserve to be spoiled too, and I know you'd never want a big proposal in front of a huge crowd. I wasn't sure you were even going to ask me."

Juyeon looks down, obviously displeased with himself, but Eric touches Juyeon's thigh, assuring him that he's not upset.

He unbuckles the seatbelt and slips out of the car, setting his sunflowers down carefully on the seat. He hops onto the hood of his car, pushing some of the roses aside.

He turns to make sure all of the balloons are still in place, untensing the tiniest bit when he sees that they are.

He feels Juyeon more than sees him come up, his torso brushing against Eric's knees.

Eric picks up one of the roses, watching as Juyeon takes everything in. Eric's certainly proud of his own promposal. On the hood of his car, right up against the windshield, are gold letter balloons that spell out ' _ Formal? _ '. There are cute reindeer antlers taped to the top of the car, and roses scattered all over the hood.

It's cute and simple, and Eric is sure Juyeon will like it.

"You don't know how stressed I was trying to set everything up before school today after you'd left so you wouldn't see it all early," Eric sighs, letting his hands rest on Juyeon's thigh. "Will you be my christmassy, though? And go to formal with me?"

Juyeon nods, beaming as he takes the rose from Eric's hand, leaning in to kiss Eric, in the privacy of the driveway. Eric spreads his legs to pull Juyeon in closer, letting his head rest on Juyeon's shoulder when he pulls away.

"No one would've known we were dates if I hadn't asked you," Juyeon says, but there’s a question in it that he directs at Eric, looking at him carefully.

Eric just smiles, because Juyeon is so, so worried all the time, even when there's no reason to be.

"Yeah, but that's okay with me. I don't want to add on to your stress. I was going to ask you out like this so no one else would know. It would be enough for me," Eric says, playing with the bottom of Juyeon's jacket, the material soft under Eric's fingers.

"You never add on to my stress," Juyeon says quietly, looking Eric in the eye to drive his statement home.

Eric just nods, because he knows that, but still.

"And I'm ready to tell people, now. I think Changmin and Sunwoo really helped me out with that one," Juyeon says, setting his rose down so he can hop onto the hood of Eric's car next to him, so their legs are pressed together, thigh touching thigh.

"Guess I'll have to thank them. I'm kinda sad though," Eric says, looking out at the sky.

"Why?" Juyeon's voice immediately has a touch of concern in it, and Eric stifles his smile, still looking somber.

"Because I won't get you all to myself anymore. We don't have to be secretive around the team or our friends. You won't make special time to hang out with me anymore," Eric pouts, and he can practically feel the huge breath of relief Juyeon lets out.

"Asshole, I thought it was something serious," Juyeon nudges Eric's shoulder with his own, "'l'll always make time for you, though."

Eric can't hide his pleased smile this time, reaching over to intertwine his fingers with Juyeon's. It's enough to warm him from the inside out in the chilly December wind.

—

"Come on, we need to start getting ready. You know Chanhee will be annoyed as hell if we show up late and miss dinner," Eric says, not wanting to move but knowing they have to.

Juyeon groans, arm tightening around Eric's waist, not lifting his head off of Eric's chest, "Do we have to go?"

"I spent good money on my tux, we're going," Eric says, carding his fingers through Juyeon's hair before getting up off the bed, "Come on."

Eric heads to his bathroom, letting his hand trace the outline of his and Juyeon's tuxes hung on his closet door. "Come on, Juyeonie. Your mom wants to take pictures in an hour. We need to start getting ready."

Juyeon yawns before sitting up, pouting again before nodding, "Fine."

It takes them thirty minutes to get ready, Eric happier than he'd thought he'd be when he puts on his light pink tux, slipping his bowtie on before turning to look at Juyeon, who's getting changed in Eric's closet.

They hadn't picked out their tuxes together, but they had been lucky enough to get coordinating colored suits. Juyeon was wearing a black tux with a pink bowtie, and Eric was wearing the inverse.

Juyeon's just putting his own bowtie on when Eric turns, and he purses his lips. It's not his first time seeing Juyeon dressed up — they have been neighbors and best friends for over six years, it’s inevitable that Eric would see him dressed up — but this is his first time being Juyeon's date while he's so dressed up. He's more affected by Juyeon than he thought he'd be.

"C'mere," Juyeon motions as he walks in front of the mirror. "Let me do your hair."

Eric furrows a brow but he's already on his way over, "Only if you let me do yours."

Juyeon seems to think it over for a second before he nods, "Sure."

It takes them another twenty minutes to style their hair, and it's only because while Eric took five minutes for Juyeon, Juyeon took triple for Eric.

Eric's let his hair grow out a bit more than he ever has in the past, and Juyeon seems to like it, judging from the multiple times he tells Eric not to cut it while he brushes through it gently.

Juyeon lets Eric's hair lay flat over his forehead, parted just a bit to the right. Eric thinks he looks cute.

Eric styles Juyeon's hair up, letting a few strands flop over his forehead. He looks absolutely amazing, in Eric's humble opinion.

"Ready?" Eric sticks his hand out for Juyeon to take after they look themselves over one last time, deeming themselves winter formal ready.

"Always, with you," Juyeon says, laughing when Eric blushes. He pouts, but it's clear that he appreciates Juyeon's words.

The actual dance is pretty lame, as all high school dances generally are. Juyeon and Eric spend half the dance with their friends, then they sneak into a different corner of the gym where the dance is being held.

They entertain themselves by making horrible dance moves for common football plays, including a semi-dangerous sweeping motion for the football play of the same name. They're both football lovers at the end of the day, and there's nothing they would really want to change about that.

Besides, Juyeon laughs more than Eric's seen him for months, and so if that comes from Eric making a fool out of himself on the dance floor, he's not opposed to it.

(It is slightly embarrassing when his chem teacher awkwardly congratulates him and Juyeon on their relationship after he finds Eric trying to make Juyeon laugh by breakdancing as fast as he can. He still wouldn't change it for anything.)

—

  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed this baby! i loved writing it bc everytime i watched the christmassy mv, this fic was just begging to be written. leave a comment or kudos if you like!
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/stealertbz) | [cc](https://curiouscat.qa/hoonheart)


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